The Groundtruth from a combat veteran, backed up by independent research and historical study. Information beneficial to the Troops. And a touch of objective politics, as it relates to the subjects at hand.

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SSgt Workman is featured in the Hall of Heroes and a book review on this from Marine Till Death that read it as it was written: http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2008/12/shadow-of-the-sword-by-jeremiah-workman-w-john-bruning.html

http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/2008/12/ssgt-jeremiah-workman-navy-cross-usmc-iraq-marion-oh.html and links to prior articles.

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Elections

Thursday, November 28, 2013

This is the document that clearly authorizes what the Federal government is allowed to do, what authorities and responsibilities the separate entities of the Government have. It is what Our Troops swear to defend and what our politicians and judges have sworn to uphold:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

As is pointed out within that article, the US Constitution is but four (4!!!) pages of simple language setting out what America is/will be, and what it is NOT. The foundations upon which a great nation was based seem to have been shaken to the core in recent years, as the current crop of politicians seem determined to over-reach the very clear limits placed upon them within that framework. Today, from where I sit, America is under attack by those very 'servants' of the people who - as noted above - swore to uphold the Constitution.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

The Brotherhood said about 64 percent of the voters cast a “yes” ballot for the charter over two days of voting. The first round was held on December 15 and a second round took place Saturday. Voter turnout was reported to be only about 32 percent.

If the preliminary outcome is confirmed in the coming days, a parliamentary election is to take place in two months.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the party of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, supports the new constitution. However, members of Egypt's liberal, secular and Christian opposition note it will erode civil liberties, because it is based in Sharia law and has no mention of women's rights.

A largely Islamist committee approved the draft constitution last month after ignoring liberal and Christian members.

Late Saturday, Mr. Morsi is reported to have announced the names of 90 new members he has appointed to the upper house of parliament. The list is claimed to include liberals and other non-Islamists as a means to continue dialogue among the factions.

Violent protests and clashes led up the to referendum vote. Several people were killed and many others wounded in Cairo earlier this month.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Police have fired tear gas at clashing protesters in Egypt's northern city of Alexandria on the eve of a second day of polling on a controversial constitutional referendum.

Anti-constitution protesters and Islamists threw stones at one another on Friday, prompting riot police to fire tear gas to separate them. There was no immediate word on possible injuries.

Thousands of Egyptians poured onto streets in Alexandria earlier in the day, waving flags and chanting as they marched through the city. Islamists had called for mass rallies before Saturday's second leg of voting on the proposed constitution.

The measure has the support of President Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist groups. However, members of the liberal, secular and Christian opposition note it will erode civil liberties because it increases the role of Islamist Sharia law and does not include women's rights.

The proposal was approved by an Islamist committee last month as liberal and Christian members walked out, due to their positions being ignored.

Last Friday, a well-known ultraconservative Salifi cleric was trapped inside of an Alexandria mosque for hours while supporters and opponents of the constitution clashed outside. The cleric had angered some worshippers when he voiced support for the referendum.

The remaining provinces vote will on the referendum on Saturday, a week after voters in Cairo, Alexandria and a group of other provinces cast ballots.

Unofficial results from the first day of polling "show almost 57-percent of voters 'approved' the measure." VoA.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Egyptian rights groups say the first round of a referendum on an Islamist-backed constitution was marred by widespread violations and should be re-staged.

The coalition of seven groups made the call as the Muslim Brotherhood backers of President Mohamed Morsi claimed victory in Saturday's vote, saying unofficial tallies showed 56-percent approval of the draft constitution.

The rights groups complained that some voters were improperly turned away and some people illegally served as polling station monitors in place of judges. Prominent Egyptian opposition figure Mohammed ElBaradei joined the criticism on Twitter, posting a message saying irregularities were “flagrant,” and turnout was “low.”

The Muslim Brotherhood said turnout was about one-third of the 26 million people eligible to vote on Saturday. The first-round of the referendum was held in 10 of Egypt's 27 regions, including the two main cities of Cairo and Alexandria. A second-round will be held next Saturday in Egypt's remaining provinces, most of which are rural and religiously conservative, which opens the door for Islamists to cast multiple votes.

Some observers expect the second-round to boost the overall “yes” vote for the draft constitution, which requires only a simple majority for passage.

Egypt's main liberal opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front, said Sunday it will not accept any unofficial referendum results.

Saturday's vote was not without violence, with more than 100,000 Egyptian troops deployed to prevent violence. But as the polls closed, some Islamists assaulted the Cairo offices of a liberal newspaper affiliated to the opposition Wafd party.

Opposition activists note the constitution will erode civil liberties because it rests on the role of Islamist Sharia law and does not mention women's rights. An Islamist-dominated constituent assembly drafted the document last month after liberal and Christian members walked out, complaining they were being ignored.

Islamist supporters of the draft constitution say its passage in a referendum is an important step toward Egypt's transition to "democracy," almost two years after a popular uprising toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

The controversy over the constitution sparked rival mass protests by opposition and Islamist activists earlier this month. At least eight people were killed in street battles among demonstrators. VoA.

Clashes broke out Friday among stone-throwing demonstrators protesting the draft constitution near a mosque in the port city of Alexandria, while police fired tear gas. Medical workers say 15 people were injured.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Masked gunmen have fired at protesters camping in the Egyptian capital, wounding nine people as supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi prepare for rival mass rallies.

Officials and witnesses say the unknown gunmen shot the protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square early Tuesday. By midday the square was calm, with tents remaining in the center and the number of people in the area slowly growing.

The opposition National Salvation Front, led by liberals including Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa, has called on its supporters to march on the presidential palace in Cairo Tuesday. They say the draft constitution does not properly represent the Egyptian people.

But Mr. Morsi has refused to back down. On Monday, he gave the military authority to arrest civilians as part of a decree to help maintain security for the referendum. The order tasks the military with supporting police to protect “vital institutions.” There was a heavy military presence in Cairo ahead of the planned rallies.

Many secular Egyptians fear the draft constitution will erode civil liberties because it boosts the role of Islamic law and makes no specific mention of women's rights. A constituent assembly dominated by Islamists approved the document last month after liberal and Christian members walked out, complaining that their voices were being ignored.

Some observers say the draft constitution has a good chance of being approved because Mr. Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood movement has a superior ability to mobilize supporters to vote.

Mr. Morsi made a concession to the opposition on Saturday by canceling parts of a November 22 decree that granted himself sweeping powers. He made the announcement after a day of talks with other political figures. Most opposition groups boycotted the dialogue.

Mr. Morsi also said that if the draft constitution is rejected in Saturday's referendum, he will call elections for a new constituent assembly to draft another charter that will be put to a popular vote.

Egyptian troops set up concrete barriers outside the presidential palace Sunday to prevent rival groups of liberals and Islamists from holding further rallies at the site. Street battles between the two sides have killed seven people in the capital in recent days. VoA.

How can the American people not see what their politicians are doing? How can they continue to elect politicians that are eroding their Freedoms? How can they fall for the same old tricks?

Americans today are more educated than they ever have been. Americans are an intelligent people. Historically, we are a hard-working and hardy people, that can overcome any enemy and any hardship. We have a tradition of seeing through the BS and making the right decision.

But, in today's world, many people are parroting the talking points of political parties without thought. Partisans are more concerned with which political party will be hurt more by sending us over "the financial cliff," than with how it will effect Americans. They are more concerned with pushing through partisan programmes than with the Constitutionality of those plans.

In one of the most classic of "a lie repeated often enough.." many Americans will often cite "a separation of church and state" as being a part of the Constitution, while that phrase is found no where in the Constitution, but rather is a part of the Communist Manifesto. And the courts and protestors continue to act on the misquote, while ignoring the actual words of the Constitution, of the 2nd Amendment that prohibit laws preventing "the free exercise thereof," of religion.

How can Americans not comprehend the importance of the US Constitution? Because their attention has been diverted to Hollywood. They have been entertained by the movies, by the antics of Hollywierdos, by starlets and harlots, to the point that Hollywood ran out of ideas and told Americans to entertain themselves with video games. Meanwhile, the mudslinging of political campaigns has become so repetitive and deceitful that its entertainment value is nil and its disgust value is maxed out. We've fallen prey to advertising slogans while failing to look below the surface of what the commercials claim the ruling class is doing.

Part IV of the textbook discusses government, including the US Constitution, its Amendments, as well as state and local governments. Chapter IX discusses "The Unfortunate Members" of Society, including the deaf or blind, the impoverished, and the mentally infirm, and civic responsibilities, through charity and community, at the local level, to help them. It goes on to define idiots, imbeciles, and morons. The point is that kids used to learn about the Constitution, as well as their responsibilities as a Citizen, in school. By law (PL 108-447, section 111, 2004), every educational institution that receives federal funding must teach the Constitution on the 17th of September, along with every Federal Agency, but both ignore the law.

The Civic duties of learning, knowing, and understanding the US Constitution have been removed from the educational system, replaced by political correctness, embedding the morals of the state, and preaching the tenets of environmentalism.

Politicians and parties will openly propagandize that "the Constitution is an outdated 200 year old document," while ignoring the Supreme Law of the Land. Their opposition will deny that it is "a living document," because the living concept of it, the Constitutional means of Amendment to it, is being ignored by those that are subverting it. And though the lie is oft repeated by party and partisan, rarely can any of the propagandists point to any clause that is outdated, or impertinent, because they don't know or don't care what it actually says. The Constitution is not a "living document" in that it can be overridden by politicians and legislative judges, but because it has the means built in to amend it, if the world changes around it.

It is only through ignorance of the importance and supremacy of the US Constitution, through ignorance of what is written in it, through ignorance of why the Founding Fathers wrote what they did, that voters allow partisan politics to ignore and erode the Rights and Freedoms of the People, from which all governing authority derives.

The Constitution is the law of how the US Government functions, and for what reason. It limits the scope of authority. The Bill of Rights further restricts that government, preserving the God-given Rights of Citizens in the face of that government. Those Rights are derived of "a higher power" than government, and hence not within the authority of government to remove, but they are guaranteed by the Constitution, specifically by the Amendments, known as the Bill of Rights.

The Supreme Court is set to rule soon on the "Constitutionality" of Constitutional Amendments to State Constitutions, in what is clearly a state government authority: definitions of marriage. There is only one possible Constitutional ruling: an amendment to a state Constitution is Constitutional unless the US Constitution spells it out as a federal authority, i.e. each state has jurisdiction over marital law. That is why it would take an amendment to the US Constitution in order for the Federal government to enter the legislative process of defining marriage. Neither Congress, nor the President, nor the Supreme Court, has any authority to create a law defining who can or can't "get married."

Congress does have the Constitutional authority, as an employer, to determine how and to whom it pays employee benefits, but not how the States define marriage. The Supreme Court does have authority to rule on whether or not those State Constitutional amendments are reflected legally in state laws, but not to overturn State Constitutions in regards to contract law, i.e. marital contract law, based on the US Constitution, because the US Constitution gives the federal government no authority on the matter.

The Federal Government does have the authority to levy an income tax, because of Constitutional Amendment, but it does not have the authority to tell a property owner to do or not do anything on his land, nor the authority to compel Individuals to purchase anything.

The supremacy of State Government in matters of domestic affairs is an implicit division of power within the US Constitution. This is as important for the subjects of Massachusetts and California, that want state run health insurance, as it is for the Citizens of Texas and Tennessee that don't. It means that both groups can get what they want, and the US Constitution bars the federal government and Congress and the President from legislating that Texans pay for Californian's health care, or preventing New Yorkers from voting in state run health care.

It means that businesses and people are free to "vote with their feet" and move from those states that strangle their financial success and upward mobility, to those states that fertilize it.

The benefits of small government are such that citizens are setting up private small government at the lowest levels. I'm referring to "Home Owner Associations," which are not unlike the roles of city governments, but as governed by mutual consent and more restrictive/invasive than municipal government. It is by mutual contract that the residents of an HOA has authority. By mutual contract, the property owner gives up rights of ownership of his own property, in order to control the activities of his neighbor.

And it is by mutual contract that the Citizens of the Individual States gives authority to the Federal government. But that mutual contract is the US Constitution, and it gives no authority to the Federal government, or its politicians to domestic governance. It gives no authority for treaties with the UN or Communist China to remove the authority of State Governments in domestic affairs, as the US Constitution retains all governance not given the federal government to the State Government, and it holds the US Constitution as supreme over all treaties.

But for every time that you insist or approve of a removal of the rights of your neighbor, you are also removing your own rights. And for everytime that you support the erosion of the US Constitution by your politicians, or fail to oppose it, you also support the erosion of your own Rights, as given by God, and guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. And while it may be things you think good being compelled on others in the moment, it may be things your ideological opponents consider good pushed on you later.

If your politicians compel me to buy health insurance I don't want today, my politicians may compel you to buy a modern firearm for defense of the Nation tomorrow. If your politicians insist that I maintain a proper exercise and diet routine today, my politicians have as much, if not more authority, to insist on you maintaining a proper marksmanship program at the firing range tomorrow. If there is a compulsion for me to get a vaccination to extend an umbrella of "protection" to those around me, then there is an equally valid argument that you maintain firearms, ammunition, and training to extend an umbrella of protection for your neighbors from criminals, terrorists, and foreign invasion.

It is your duty, as a Citizen, to know what the US Constitution says, and to understand why, to hold your politicians accountable, to defend my Rights, even when you don't like what I say, just as it is my duty to defend your Rights, even when I don't like what you're saying. It is your Responsibility to do so, before you exercise your right to vote, so that you can vote without ignorance.

Friday, December 07, 2012

The proposed constitution of Egypt is long (approximately 15,000 words), with governmental provisions mixed with ideological and religious philosophies. I have been searching for the full text since it was announced to have been proposed. I finally found it here. The full text follows the break while some key provisions are:

Article 81: rights and freedoms shall be practiced in a manner not conflicting with the principles pertaining to State and society

Article 219: The principles of Islamic Sharia include general evidence, foundational rules, rules of jurisprudence, and credible sources accepted in Sunni doctrines and by the larger community.

Principle Ten — Arab unity is a call of history and of the future, and a demand of destiny. Such unity is to be reinforced through the integration and fraternity with countries of the Nile Valley and of the Muslim world,....

Article 1: The Egyptian people are part of the Arab and Islamic nations,

Article 2: Islam is the religion of the state and Arabic its official language. Principles of Islamic Sharia are the principal source of legislation.

Article 4: Al-Azhar is an encompassing independent Islamic institution, with exclusive autonomy over its own affairs, responsible for preaching Islam, theology and the Arabic language in Egypt and the world. Al-Azhar Senior Scholars are to be consulted in matters pertaining to Islamic law.

Principle Eleven — Egypt’s... and Al-Azhar, with its history as a mainstay of national identity, the Arabic language and Islamic Sharia, and as a beacon for moderate enlightened thought.

Article 12: The State shall .. foster the Arabization of education, science and knowledge.

Article 18: All money with no owner belongs to the State.

Article 31: Insulting or showing contempt toward any human being shall be prohibited.

Article 43: The State shall guarantee the freedom to practice religious rites and to establish places of worship for the divine religions, as regulated by law.

Article 44: Insult or abuse of all religious messengers and prophets shall be prohibited.

Article 54: Addressing public authorities should not be in the name of groups, with the exception of juridical persons.

Article 60: Religious education and national history are core subjects of pre-university education in all its forms.

Article 71: The State shall provide care for children and youth; shall support their development spiritually, morally....

Together, along with other provisions, the Egyptian Constitution (proposed) mean that there are no rights, except those allowed by the government, and as intepreted by Islamist religious figures, as being compliant with Sharia Law. Caveats, such as "as prescribed by law" mean that while the constitution doesn't specifically require all politicians to be Muslims, the government can impose that stipulation, or a Sharia Judge could, as a tenet of Sharia Law. And since the constitution requires the spiritual and moral education of all children to fall under its jurisdiction, it can impose an islamization of the Coptic Christians and other religious minorities.

Al-Azhar is an Islamist university created by and associated with the Egyptian Caliphate of the 10th Century.

A problem with such a long and complicated constitution is that everything is caveated, and can be convoluted.

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

China has received poor marks in an annual corruption index, underscoring a worsening problem that Communist Party leaders have acknowledged could threaten their grip on power.

Transparency International's index on state corruption again placed China well down in the rankings at number 80 out of the 176 countries where perceptions of official graft were measured. It ranked 75th in last year's index.

The report released Wednesday said China was perceived to be more corrupt than Saudi Arabia, but less than other Communist-ruled countries such as Vietnam and North Korea. Beijing scored just 39 out of a possible 100 points in the study.

China's Communist Party has vowed to crack down on official corruption, which has been highlighted by several high-profile scandals involving senior leaders.

Last month, state media quoted incoming President Xi Jinping as saying that if corruption were allowed to run rampant, the party risked major unrest or the end of the party and the state.

Xi was named Communist Party chief last month at the 18th National Congress, which unveiled China's next generation of new leaders to Chinese subjects, without any input from the people.

The once-a-decade power transfer has been complicated by a scandal involving senior politician Bo Xilai, who was once considered a favorite for a top leadership spot.

Bo is under investigation for corruption and abuse of power, while his wife has been convicted of murdering a British businessman over a financial dispute.

Meanwhile, state media said Wednesday another high-ranking official has been placed under investigation for graft. The official Xinhua news agency said Sichuan deputy party boss Li Chuncheng was being investigated by the party's discipline watchdog. It did not mention any suspected wrongdoings.

Beijing says an astonishing 600,000 party officials have been exposed for corruption-related activities since 2007. Of those, only 200,000 were referred to Chinese courts for prosecution.

But many observers say progress will be difficult in curbing corruption, partly because of the lack of independence in China's courts, which are heavily influenced by the Communist Party.

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Blame the weather. Blame "global warming." Blame hurricane "Sandy." Perhaps, Washington DC has run out of hot air for a moment. Perhaps, they're just taking a breath to spew some more. But tonight, and for the last 24 hours, my flag has been limp. It was flyng high when I voted. It was flying high when the MSM reported that 59% of Tennesseans voted against the incumbent.

I think it fell limp when CBS called Ohio for Obama. I could dissect how that could have been fraud, or could have been attained, but more than Ohio would have had to gone against him to vote him out of office. They called it way too early, and hours later they were reporting it was within 10,000 votes of going the other way. Like a great number of those that pushed the button against the incumbent, I am not a supporter of the opponent. It's not that I dislike Romney, but that he rarely gave me a reason to actually support him.

And therein lies the problem: Romney did very little to convince Troops and Veterans that he was the better choice. Like many, I can tell you ten to a hundred reasons to oppose the guy re-elected, but I can point to less than a dozen times that his opponent said he'd reverse those policies. Perhaps, had he campaigned on the issues important to those that do or have fought for Freedom, instead of taking for granted they would vote for him, the results would have been different. Reports indicate the military vote was below normal, and that even that, was undercounted. Some have claimed that enough military votes went uncounted to change the election results. I don't have the energy to even look into the claims.

The fact is that if Americans understood and believed in the Constitution, if they paid attention to what politicians are actually doing, instead of Hollywood gossip, we would never have arrived at this point. The fact is that the largest area of America voted against this, and the Founders did not intend for any small portion of America to control the rest. And a look at how Congressional Districts voted demonstrates that a few pockets of mostly urban areas are overruling the will of Americans.

There are two ways to resolve this: a divorce, or a return to the Constitution. See, the Constitution actually provides for both sides to get what they want, but it doesn't allow for the Federal government to do it. The Constitution allows for California, New York, and Taxachusetts to tax their rich to their hearts' content, and to coddle their lazy, while allowing Tennesseans, Texans, and Floridians to maintain their Freedom. The Founders foresaw that citydwellers of New York would have different demands of government than would the Farmers of Georgia. That's why they established the State Governments as the governments of domestic governance and the Federal Government as the presider of foreign policy, on behalf of those united States.

Under the Constitution, the State of Washington can tax its people at more than five times the rate of Tennesseans, while Texans have the Freedom to do what they want on their own land, and Taxachussets tells theirs what color trashcans to put on the street, so long as their republican forms of government are duly elected and pass those laws. But the city of Washington DC, and the politicians that make their money by being there can't take Nevada tax money to give to Chicago's slums.

Constitutionally, a Presidential Election should be 90% about Foreign Policy, and 10% about interstate commerce. Constitutionally, Gubernatorial Elections should be about the kinds of domestic policies we heard the Presidential candidates make this campaign about.

The problem is that the left coast and Northeast, having taxed their people to death, now want to spend the money earned by Alabamans and Alaskans. And the problem is that having taxed their corporations to death, they see that Manufacturers and Businesses prefer Mississippi and Missouri. And the problem is that killing the Southern Goose, won't give them any golden eggs.

If Americans had been paying attention to what has gone on in the world in the last 4 years, understood how and why the Founders designed the governments they did, and voted accordingly, we would not even have had these two candidates in the race, and if we had, we would not have had these results.

And if we don't defend Our Constitution at home, it won't matter how many terrorists we kill or capture overseas.

Friday, October 26, 2012

A foreign policy adviser to President Barack Obama says Republican Mitt Romney's pledge to label China a currency manipulator on his first day in office is irresponsible and risks upsetting U.S.-China relations.

At a debate Wednesday at Johns Hopkins University, Mr. Obama's former senior Asia policy aide Jeff Bader said it is “astonishing” Mr. Romney would take the step during Beijing's sensitive leadership transition, which begins two days after the November 6 election.

Bader, who serves on the president's re-election committee, said China's new, unelected, Communist Party leaders will “not be in a passive mood for threats and being backed into corners.” He said he guarantees they will “retaliate.”

Romney campaign national security adviser Aaron Friedberg said the U.S. should not “be paralyzed” because of fears of sparking a trade war between the world's two largest economies. He insists the move would not “trigger Armageddon,” arguing that “China is more dependent on the United States than we are on them.”

Washington has long accused Beijing of intentionally keeping the value of its currency low in order to give Chinese companies an unfair advantage over U.S. manufacturers. But the Obama administration has refused to label Beijing a currency manipulator, instead claiming to use pressure and diplomacy to encourage reforms, which has produced no measurable, positive results, while the trade inbalance, and debt to China mounts.VoA.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

To say that the lack of focus on Foreign Policy, National Security, and National Defense in the current election campaign is disappointing to me, would be an understatement. I am very disappointed that the Romney-Ryan campaign has failed to define the differences between Romney and Obama. There ARE differences between them, and there are other points of perceived differences.

In my opinion, the Obama Administration is vulnerable on Foreign Policy and National Security, which it continues to claim is its strength. And it is not that I'm enamored with the Romney "me too" routine on Foreign Policy, but we have already seen that the Obama Administration has a record of making the wrong choices. The Romney campaign seems to rest this important part of its platform on others to define, and while that may be the smart political move, it doesn't sit well with me.

Thursday, October 04, 2012

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says that the country's 2014 presidential elections will take place on time despite the scheduled exit of international troops from the country.

During a news conference Thursday in the capital, Kabul, Mr. Karzai said the vote will “100 percent happen on time,” adding that any prolonging of his tenure would be 'illegitimate'.”

Afghan lawmakers have considered changing the election timing to avoid an overlap with the scheduled drawdown of U.S.-led NATO combat forces, which is to set to take place at the end of 2014.

Mr. Karzai, in his comments, also criticized foreign media outlets which he said painted a gloomy scenario of Afghanistan after the pull out. He accused the media of conducting “psychological” warfare against Afghanistan's reputation by alleging that civil war will break out in the country after foreign forces leave.

The Afghan president also said his government would be open to signing a strategic pact with Pakistan, only if Islamabad first stops “terrorists” and “suicide bombers” from crossing into the border into Afghanistan.

Tensions have been high between the two countries with Afghanistan blaming Pakistan for recent cross-border shelling that Afghan officials say has killed a number of civilians. Pakistan denies deliberately shelling across the border and says it is going after militants who escape into Afghanistan. VoA.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Often, I cringe when well-meaning individuals take liberties with the US Flag, the living embodiment of the US Constitution, that they shouldn't. Too often, politicians wrap themselves in the flag, as a means to get elected while working to undermine the Constitution they swear to protect. This is beyond the pale.

On Wednesday, the Obama Campaign began marketing a desecration of the US Flag, that replaces the Union with the pepsi symbol of Obama. It turns the stripes into what appears to be bloody smears, as noted by Twitter user @ChicGirl427, to be reminiscent of the aftermath of the 9/11 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Evidently, the Obama Campaign has reacted to the backlash, and removed the offense from its campaign site, but mea culpa is insufficient in such a grave error of hubris. There is NO excuse for an individual who thinks he should be retained as the presider over the Federal Government, a servant of the Amercian Citizenry, to desecrate the living embodiment of the US Constitution, and particularly not with his own personal emblem.

This politician doesn't seem to have any respect for the US Constitution, for the Bill of Rights, or for the US Flag that represents them, and this is simply a visible symbol of that. He has sought to suppress the 1st Amendment with "Hate Speech" legislation, with the forcible denial of religious beliefs, and the internment and expulsion of US Marines who speak out against him.

He has sought to deny the 4th and 5th Amendment with unlawful searches, sexual assaults, at airports, with the execution of American Citizens abroad without due process of law.

He has sent his emmisaries, namely Leon Panetta, to tell the Senate that he will not seek a Declaration of War when executing the same, nor request their permission, nor even tell them if he alone decides to commit Our Troops to war.

He has determined that he can rule by Executive Order alone, despite the US Constitution.

He swore to uphold the US Constitution, but has worked to subvert it. It does not surprise me that he hubristically believes he can desecrate the living embodiment of it. He did not place his hand over his heart in 2008, during the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem, until it appeared that would undermine his rise to power. It does not surprise me that he has removed the offense from his site, though it astounds me that he thought he could get away with it.

Yeah, it chaps my a**. And it should every American. It won't, but it should. Too many of his supporters believe it is just a piece of cloth. Too many of his supporters have not risked all for the Freedoms and Rights it guarantees. Too many of his supporters do not understand why the Founders wrote the Constitution as they did, or why that is as important today as it was when they wrote those words.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey has maintained throughout his 38-year career that the American military, as a whole, must remain apolitical – meaning being neutral in political matters.

"I have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution and one of the principles of the Constitution is freedom of speech," he said during an interview on his way to Ankara, Turkey. "Anyone who claims that I am in any way trying to deny someone freedom of speech, I just can't accept that."

Dempsey has been outspoken that service members have truly earned their right to vote, and that all Americans are entitled to private and personal opinions. But he also is worried that using the uniform for partisan purposes could damage the trust Americans have in their military.

Survey after survey reveals the American military is one of the most trusted and most respected institutions in the land, and maintaining that trust is key to the success of the United States, Dempsey said. In his studies of civil-military relations, he added, the cornerstone of the profession of arms is that "we remain apolitical – that we are not a special-interest group."

And he applies that across the board. "I don't care what side of the aisle someone happens to sit on or happens to support," he said.

The chairman said he wants service members and those who have served and who may still use the title "just to think about what impact their actions will have on our standing as a profession with the American people if they engage in partisan political activity."

"I just want them to think about it," he said.

Retired general and flag officers must be extra careful when engaging in partisan political activities, the chairman said. They are held to a higher standard and probably should be, he explained, because many Americans do not make the distinction between an active duty and retired status. "And most [retired general and flag officers] understand that standard and meet it," he added.

[WOTN Editor: General Dempsey has been the highest profile offender of partisan politics in uniform. Worse than just stating his opinions while still a member of the military, the General has used his position, in uniform, to advocate partisan political policies that adversely affect the Troops and military, in front of Congress, and while entertaining MSM journalists aboard military aircraft.General Dempsey, a political appointee, has advocated for increasing fees on Military retirees, cutting Troops, cutting the DoD budget, and other partisan policies of the politician that appointed him to that position.]

Saturday, September 08, 2012

The slumping U.S. labor market added a meager 96,000 jobs last month, but the country's jobless rate declined as more Americans abandoned their search for work. Thursday's report from the Labor Department says a total of 365,000 newly-laid off workers requested assistance nationwide.

The government reported Friday that the Augustunemployment rate was 8.1 percent, down from the 8.3 percent figure in July. It was the 43rd straight month that the figure has been above an unusually high 8 percent level. "The unemployment rate fell because over 350,000 people dropped out of the labor force. In other words, the situation is so bad that workers are simply giving up and leaving the labor force. Since last year at this time, about 2.7 million workers have lost faith and left the labor force. So that has masked the true unemployment rate, which would be closer to double digits were those people still counted.” Analyst, finance professor Rebel Cole at DePaul University in Chicago

The small number of the new jobs was down from the 141,000 increase in July that was smaller than initially estimated. The small number of new jobs could prompt the country's central bank policy makers to adopt new policies when then meet soon in an attempt to spur employment growth and trim the jobless rate. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has said the lack of job growth is one reason the central bank may need to act.

The state of the U.S. economy, the world's largest, is the central issue in the country's very close presidential election campaign, now less than nine weeks before the November 6 vote. The monthly jobs and unemployment numbers have played pivotal roles for Republican challenger Mitt Romney and the Democratic incumbent, President Barack Obama, in their competing claims about who can boost the sluggish recovery.

Romney says his years of experience in the private sector give him the needed knowledge to boost job growth at a substantially faster pace than Mr. Obama. Surveys of voters show they think he is better suited to handle the national economy.

Mr. Obama is telling voters that his policies have created millions of new jobs, but that more time is needed. No U.S. president has been re-elected since World War Two with a jobless rate above 7.4 percent.

More than 12 million U.S. workers are unemployed and the jobless rate has remained above 8 percent since February 2009, Mr. Obama's first full month in office. The unemployment rate is unusually high for the U.S. labor market, where 5 to 6 percent is more normal. Millions more people are working part-time jobs or at jobs they consider beneath their skill level. VoA.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Egyptian media outlets are hailing as “revolutionary” a decision by President Mohamed Morsi to dismiss the once-powerful defense minister and curtail the military's authority.

On Sunday, Mr. Morsi ordered Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi to retire along with armed forces chief of staff Sami Enan. The president also canceled a constitutional declaration that had granted Tantawi and other top military officers in the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces wide powers.

Mr. Morsi, of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, said he “did not intend to embarrass institutions,” and that his decisions were for the benefit of Egypt and its people. The military has not publicly responded to the decisions.

U.S. reaction at the White House and State Department stressed the need for the Egyptian civilian and military leaders to work together to advance the democratic transition. Pentagon spokesman George Little said the changes were expected.

“The new defense minister is someone who's known to us. He comes from within the ranks of the SCAF and we believe that we will be able to continue the strong partnership that we have with Egypt.”

Both Tantawi and Enan were named as presidential advisors and received top medals for their military service.

Some Morsi supporters celebrated in Tahrir Square late Sunday, but a VOA reporter in Cairo says there have not been a lot of people in the streets Monday, most likely due to the hot weather and the fasting associated with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Sunday's changes at the top of the military followed last week's announcement that Mr. Morsi fired his intelligence chief and the governor of North Sinai. That reorganization — which also extended to replacing the commander of the military police — came days after militants launched their bloodiest attack ever on the army in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 16 Egyptian border guards. VoA.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

China's top leaders are meeting this week at the Beidaihe resort near Beijing to finalize their selections for the next generation of national leaders.

The decisions made this week will become public at the 18th Party Congress scheduled later this year.

Officials holding seven of the nine seats in the Politburo Standing Committee — the Chinese Communist Party's top decision-making body — are to retire. Among them are President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao. Vice President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who are already members of the Standing Committee, are expected to replace them.

The party leaders at Beidaihe may also discuss a proposal to reduce the size of the Standing Committee to seven members from nine. That would mean fewer seats for rising party members.

The meeting is being held just after a major internal power struggle. Bo Xilai, party leader in the sprawling city of Chongqing and a contender for the Standing Committee, was removed from his post earlier this year.

Bo and his wife, Gu Kailai were accused of being involved in the death of British businessman Neil Heywood. Gu goes on trial this week for his murder.

Leading candidates to join the Standing Committee include Li Yuanchao, member of the Politburo and head of the party's Organization Department, and Lui Yandong, a member of the Politburo and the State Council. Another likely candidate is Ling Jihua, secretary of the Central Secretariat and the chief of the general office of the CPC Central Committee.

Beidaihe was a regular meeting place for senior party officials until Hu Jintao came to power in 2002. This is the first such meeting since then.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will wrap up his foreign trip Tuesday in Poland.

Romney arrived in Poland's Baltic port city of Gdansk Monday, after stops in Britain and Israel where he made televised remarks on how he would handle foreign affairs during difficult times.

On his first day in Poland he met with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and former president and Solidarity movement leader Lech Walesa, who led the movement in 1980's Poland which helped bring down the Soviet Union and the Iron Curtain of Communism.

In Israel earlier Monday, Romney raised more than $1 million at a fundraiser for his campaign. But he offended Palestinians when he called Jerusalem Israel's capital. Palestinians want to make East Jerusalem the capital of their future state.

Earlier in the week, the British news media reacted angrily to Romney's questioning the quality of security at the London Olympic Games.

Monday, July 30, 2012

In the 11th Quadrennial Review, the Obama Administration is asking Congress to cut the amount National Guard and Reserves are compensated for giving up their weekends and maintaining their military proficiency on a monthly basis. To be clear, this proposed cut in pay would affect only their monthly pay, not the 2 weeks Active Training or paychecks while mobilized. In a "transparent manner," the Administration did not come out and state that they wish to cut pay, but hid the proposal in a 4 year review of DoD policies. They did not say they wish to cut pay, but instead used the acronyms that most civilians and many Troops have no understanding of. In fact, when the issue was first made public at This Ain't Hell, even Veterans of the Reserve forces were confused with the acronyms used.

It is time to write your Congressmen, and ask all your friends to do so. Here's why:

Would you work 16 -24 hours in a weekend for as little as $100, $150, or $200? Would you dedicate 7 1/2 years of your life in 20, to get a monthly check of $800/month 10 years after you are done risking your life? Would you give up a month a year, for 20 years, for $321/month 10 years after you've finished your commitment? Obama is asking Congress to approve changes to the Reserve Force pay structure that would create these scenarios.

Hondo, at This Ain't Hell, has done as good a job as can be done explaining the Guard/Reserve retirement system. In summary, no two retirees are paid the same and retirees are paid a fraction of what their Active Duty counterparts are paid in retirement, up to 22 years later. What Hondo didn't do was demonstrate the actual dollar amounts effected by pay and retirement cuts, nor did he demonstrate the impact to those Reservists that meet the annual requirements, but do not go on year long deployments.

A Reservist had previously asked Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld about making the Retirement system more fair, and Rumsfeld had responded in a callous and uncaring manner. At task, is that not only is the Reserve retirement check very small in comparison, but that it is not paid until a person is 60 years old, several years after the individual is typically eligible for retirement. The Obama request offers to move that first check up by up to 13 years, in exchange for a severe cut in pay, and a cut in what they earn in retirement checks.

No one can live off the Guard/Reserve paycheck. An E4 makes about $300/month (currently) for giving up his weekend and maintaining his military proficiencies once a month. Under the Obama proposal, that will be cut to $150/month. I point to the E4 paycheck because there are more E4's than any other single rank.

The Administration has previously requested that Troops be given only inflation based payraises for the next few years, as the Administration requested and got in previous years, and that after that Military pay be frozen. Strategically, his request calls for the pay freeze to occur after the elections. He has also requested that Military Retirees be charged up to $2000 (plus inflation) for Health Insurance that was promised them for serving 20 years, and up to $60 per prescription for the drugs they need as a result of that service and old age.

Returning to our E4, he will typically have between 2 and 12 years of military service. I once met an E4 that had 20 years of service and had served in Viet Nam. A few years ago, I read a report of an E4 that was a Professor in the field of Agriculture in his civilian job. Many Reserve/Guard E4's have very good civilian jobs, but many are also blue collar workers. Some actually depend on their Guard paycheck to keep their households above water, financially. Few will make less than $10/hour that the $150/weekend would represent, if a Reserve weekend were only 16 hours.

That weekend includes transportation to and from the unit, time and fuel costs. Many, if not most, Guard and Reserve units are not as close as an individual's normal employment. It is not uncommon for a Soldier to live 30 or 40 miles away. And it is not uncommon for the civilian employer to want that Soldier to work his regular shift just before drill, right after it, or both. It is not uncommon for that Saturday to begin at 5AM or for the days to end at 7PM.

With increasing annual requirements for briefings on Suicide Awareness, PTSD, DADT repeal, and a myriad of other topics, Reserve Force units must squeeze every minute they can out of those weekends, and still have to fill in the training blanks when the unit is mobilized. When Troops go to Reserve Force training, they don't get weekends off like their Active component colleagues. Joining the National Guard or Reserves is signing your weekends away and DoD is constantly requiring more and more to be squeezed into those 24 hours.

And military duties don't end when that Soldier takes his uniform off on Sunday. It is the Soldier's responsibility to maintain physical fitness standards, which take more than 2 days a month. It is very normal for the unit to send out a message requiring Troops to conduct online training and certifications on their own time, prior to the next unit assembly.

Since the Soldier is not working for his regular employer and since the Reserve paycheck is not based on hours, but is "salary," he doesn't get overtime pay for working 60 hours in a 7 day period, or 12 days in a row between his Military and Civilian masters or working 15 straight 16 hour days during Annual Training.

When that E4 gets promoted to E5, his drill pay may be between $300 and $400. Obama would cut this to $150 to $200. On the bottom end of the scale, a number of Reservists will retire as an E5 while the bulk will retire as an E6 or E7. With 20 years of service, and responsibility for an average of 12 lives, an E6 would be paid $235 for that weekend and an E7, with an average responsibility for 30+ lives, would be paid $260. If the Platoon Sergeant (E7) works only 8 hours/day, which is highly unlikely, he'll earn less than $18/hour under the Obama request. If he works 12 hours/day on those weekends, which is far more likely, it goes down to under $12/hour. It's important to realize, we're not talking about an 18 year old Private fresh out of Basic Training, but someone with twenty years of experience who is responsible for the lives and training of 30 plus lives. We're talking about someone that has been in the civilian workforce for more than 20 years.

But what about that tradeoff? The proposal is to allow Guard/Reserve retirees get their retirement paychecks sooner. Some enlisted Troops will make E8/E9 before retirement, but not that many. A twenty year Veteran should find E7 attainable, though many will retire at a lower paygrade. The Obama proposal also cuts the number of points (days towards retirement) a Soldier earns for those weekends. That means that the retiree's pay would also be cut.

An E7 retiring after 20 years would see that retirement check cut by up to 30%. And this is where I significantly alter my analysis from Hondo. He offers percentage differences based on a Reservist doing 5 years of Active Duty in those 20 years, and I'm looking at the money, as well as those that are most affected, along with those in his other categories. A day of Active duty (or retirement point) is worth 29.6 cents a month in today's pay schedule for an E7 with 20 years of service, in retirement pay. The Obama proposal would cut $1700/year in retirement pay.

Under the Obama request, an E7 retiring at 38 with 20 years that was able to collect his first check at age 48 (instead of 60) would qualify for $46,000 more in retirement pay for those 12 years or $321/month. (This assumes the retiree has conducted a year of active duty over the course of his career, and the normal weekend/month, two weeks a year.) During the first 10 years after age 60 he would make $38,500 (or $3,850/year) as opposed to $54,700 under the current system. No one thinks they'll live forever, but if this retiree lives to age 63, he'll have lost every bit of early retirement he received, and that scenario assumes he gets his first paycheck as young as possible. This doesn't even account for the lost pay he felt while going to drill. That E7 over 20 earned $3400/year less because of the paycut alone.

What about those scenarios that Hondo presented? If that E7 did 5 years of Active duty service during his 20 years, his retirement paycheck would be approximately $814/month, under the current system, or $708/month under the Obama request. Under this scenario, that Soldier would have served approximately 4 years in combat or other "contingencies."

Yes, Obama wants Reservists and Guardsman to be called to Active Duty service every 5 years, regardless of whether there's a war going on or not. At present, most units have done 2 combat mobilizations in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. The Guard and Reserve Troops did sign up to be ready in case of war, but the very premise of the Reserve forces is "Don't call me unless you need me," (i.e. a war). Even during wartime, this exhausts the Reserve Forces, and their civilian employers. It is a big factor in why unemployment is so high amongst their ranks. It wears out their civilian families, who did not sign on the dotted line. It is very likely a factor in why the Guard had not met recruiting goals until June, in 2012.

And what about the Soldier that did 4 years Active Military before embarking on his time in the Reserve Forces? If he completed the requirements, under the current system, he would get a check of $724/month, a check of $1083/month if he did 3 more years of Active Duty in the Reserves, as proposed by Obama, and calculated by Hondo (under the current system), or $611/month if he maintained the standard under the Obama pay cut, or $990/month under the Obama cut request and Obama plan to use Reserve Forces in an Active Capacity (i.e. 3 more years of combat/contingency). For this "Reserve" Soldier, he would have served the equivalent of nearly 10 years of Active Duty in 20 years of "part-time" service. He's not only going to take a hit in military pay, but also civilian career advancement and hence civilian income & retirement pay. It will be near impossible for him to develop a successful business of his own, and he will be almost guaranteed to have several periods of unemployment due to civilian employer fatigue of losing key employees so frequently.

The current Reserve/Guard retirement system is NOT fair or right, but this proposal makes it worse, not better.

If the goal is to convince Troops to leave the military, and there is evidence for that argument, this proposal, particularly when combined with other Obama proposals is on target. That E4 working for less than $10/hour during 12 day weeks (combined with civilian employment), as well as those E7's working for as little as $12/hour and tired from frequent deployments and family tired of them missing so many holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries, will get out.

Yes, there will be a few winners in the change. If an E7 that joined at 18, in 1993 gets to keep his retirement points, and to get his retirement checks at age 48, he will come out signficantly ahead, but the system generally doesn't work that way, and this Administration generally has a record of giving the big green weanie to as many Troops as possible. If an E8 joined at age 18 in 1983, he will be a big winner, assuming those loopholes are missed by the Administration proposal. In these two scenarios, they are likely to put in their retirement papers. The young bucks will applaud the new promotion opportunities. The Administration will applaud themselves for getting rid of those that remember the "old ways." The unit will suffer the loss of experience.

And there will be big losers, mostly those that have joined in the last few years, and mostly the State National Guard units, who the Governors rely on to step up in times of Natural Disasters. If recruiters think it's difficult to sign people up now, just think of the results they'll get when they tell High School kids that they'll get less than $100 (as a Private) for giving up their weekends!

And yeah, it appears that the current crop of politicians can take an unfair, complicated system of red tape, and make it even more complicated and more unfair, in such a way that can even more quickly reduce the number of people willing to serve the Nation, as needed.

This is not the only example of Obama asking Congress to let him screw the Troops, and the Troops won't feel the pain until after the election, but they need YOU to write your Congressmen, two Senators and a Representative in the House, and tell them once again to tell Obama "NO."

In relation to the National Guard and Reserves, Obama is asking that they be activated, war or no, one year out of five, that their pay be reduced, and that they get charged more for the retirement health insurance they were promised for giving so much to this Nation. While the amount of retirement can vary greatly from one E7 with 20 years to the next, the majority of Troops will get screwed by this combination of Obama proposals.

For example, if Obama's "Buffet Tax" is approved, and this pay and retirement cut is approved, a 65 year old retiree (with the lowest income bracket) will be charged an estimated $4456/year (in 2035) for health insurance, including 4 prescriptions and be paid as little as $3855/year in retirement pay (although under some scenarios used by Hondo, he'll get about $11,000/year, assuming he has been activated 4 times for contingencies and combat as well as done another year of Active Duty for training.) Whether we're charging a "meet the standards" Guard retiree $800/year to retire, or paying a Veteran of 4 years in combat a net of $656 before taxes, it is not right.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Sunday in Cairo with Egypt's top military commander Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, a day after holding talks with newly-inaugurated Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

Clinton and Field Marshal Tantawi, who was the country's interim leader after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, discussed an extensive range of topics, including the north African country's political transition, the importance of protecting the rights of all Egyptians, and regional stability.

Clinton is set to hold talks separately with Egypt's Christian leaders and women leaders before travelling to Alexandria to participate in a flag-raising ceremony at the U.S. consulate.

Later Sunday, Clinton departs for Israel.

On Saturday, the top U.S. diplomat reaffirmed U.S. support for Egypt's political transition. Clinton said the United States wants to be helpful, but “it is for the Egyptian people to decide” how the transition plays out.

Clinton also announced a $60-million enterprise fund for small and medium-sized businesses and $250 million in private-sector loan guarantees. VoA.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood won elections to write the new Constitution, after the US and Western Nations rushed Egypt to hold elections while only the Muslim Brotherhood was organized to campaign.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Egypt's Islamist-led parliament has reconvened in defiance of orders by the country's military and Supreme Court.

The lower house of parliament met Tuesday, days after President Mohamed Morsi issued a decree reinstating the body.

Egypt's supreme military council dissolved the parliament last month after the Supreme Court found fault with the process by which lawmakers were elected. The court said Monday its decision was final and binding.

The speaker of the lower house said lawmakers were meeting to find a way to implement the order.

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Libyans are going to the polls in the country's first multi-party elections in 60 years.

Voters on Saturday are choosing candidates for a 200-seat National Assembly. The assembly will form a temporary government and draft a constitution, ahead of full parliamentary elections next year.

Security forces are on guard near polling centers to prevent any possible violence.

Libyan officials say protesters have disrupted some polling centers in eastern Libya, including in the cities of Benghazi and Ajdabiya. Some groups argue eastern Libya is being neglected by officials in Tripoli and want more powers for the region.

The voting is taking place less than a year after long-time leader Moammar Gadhafi died soon after being captured by Libyan anti-government fighters. Some voters are turning up draped in the new Libyan flag with its red, green and black colors.

More than 140 parties and small factions campaigned in the election. Analysts predict Islamists will do well, along with a secular group of officials who played a role in the country's post-Gadhafi transition.

In violence Friday, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a helicopter carrying election material, killing an election official who was on board.

Libyan officials say the incident took place near the eastern town of Benghazi. The motive for the attack was not clear at the time.)) VoA.

Monday, June 25, 2012

A huge cheer went up from Tahrir square where supporters of Mr. Morsi gathered.

Mr. Morsi defeated former Mubarak-era prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.

Egypt's election commission announced Sunday that Mr. Morsi won nearly 52 percent of the vote, beating Ahmed Shafiq. Mr. Morsi will become Egypt's first freely elected president.

The election commission was supposed to release the results Thursday, but it said it needed more time to investigate fraud allegations against both candidates.

Ahead of Sunday's announcement, officials deployed extra security forces to Cairo streets and key state institutions. Supporters of both Mr. Morsi and Mr. Shafiq had threatened a backlash should their candidate lose the closely contested election. So far though, there have been no reports of violence.

VoA.

The Muslim Brotherhood is an international Islamist organization which calls for implementation of Sharia law, the separation of sexes, and the end of Western influences in the Middle East. It had promised violent protests if their candidate had not been declared the winner.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras will have three days to form a coalition government, after his pro-bailout party won the most seats in Sunday's parliamentary elections.

Samaras met Monday with Greek President Carolos Papoulias, who gave him a mandate to pursue coalition talks.

The conservative New Democracy party won 30 percent of the vote to take 129 of the 300 seats in parliament, including the 50-seat bonus given to the party with the most votes.

The radical leftist, anti-bailout Syriza party came in second with 71 seats, while the pro-bailout PASOK Socialists won 33 seats – likely enough to help form a ruling coalition.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a joint statement the European Union looks forward to working with the new government and supporting efforts to put Greece's economy on “a sustainable path.”

As election officials began counting ballots in Egypt's presidential runoff, the ruling military issued an interim constitution handing itself sweeping powers, including legislative authority, after a court dissolved the Islamist-led parliament.

Egyptian state television reported late Sunday that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces would explain the widely anticipated declaration at a news conference the next day.

According to military sources, the move would grant the SCAF exclusive legislative powers in addition to control of the nation's budget until a new parliament is elected. The decree also gives the military the authority to compose its own 100-member panel that would draft Egypt's new constitution.

After polls closed Sunday night and counting began, aides to both candidates in the runoff – Ahmed Shafiq, the Mubarak-era representative, and an Islamist, Mohammed Morsi – were claiming their man was in the lead.

Partial polling results show the Socialists' bloc taking up to 320 seats in the 577-member National Assembly, well above the 289 needed for a majority.

The conservative UMP party of former president Nicolas Sarkozy was expected to win at least 212 seats. The anti-immigration National Front party of Marine Le Pen, which placed third in the first round, took at least two seats.

Party leader Le Pen lost her own parliamentary race, by just 118 votes. But her niece, 22-year-old Marion Marechal-Le Pen won a seat for the party, which Le Pen called “an enormous success'.”

In an embarrassment for the Socialists, former presidential candidate Segolene Royal lost her bid, quashing her hopes of becoming speaker of the National Assembly.

Royal is Mr. Hollande's former partner and the mother of his four children. Her campaign became embroiled in controversy last week after the president's current partner, journalist Valerie Trierweiler, expressed support for Royal's opponent on Twitter.

Voter participation was reported at 21.4 percent by midday Sunday, in the election which was France's fourth in eight weeks.

Analysts say the expected win will allow Mr. Hollande to enact measures he hopes will help curb unemployment and kick-start the eurozone's second-largest economy.

Mr. Hollande unseated conservative Nicolas Sarkozy in a May 6 runoff presidential election. The new president needs lawmakers' support for him to try to persuade European Union leaders, especially German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to focus on spurring economic growth rather than enforcing further austerity in struggling European economies.

Monday, June 11, 2012

French President Francois Hollande's Socialist party and its allies are on track to win a solid majority in parliament after winning the largest bloc of seats in the first round of voting for the country's lower house of parliament.

Official results for Sunday's vote show the left wing parties with about 46 percent of the vote in the 577-seat National Assembly.

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party won around 34 percent of the vote, while the far right National Front received more than 13 percent.

The final makeup of the National Assembly will be determined after a second round of voting Sunday .

The Socialists and their allies already control the French Senate, the upper house of parliament.

Mr. Hollande wants to enact measures he hopes will help curb unemployment and kick-start the Eurozone's second largest economy.

First round winners include National Front leader Marie Le Pen, who will move on to next week's runoff for a seat from the northern town of Henin-Beaumont. Le Pen finished third in last month's presidential election. She boasted Sunday that the right-wing National Front is now France's third most powerful political party.

President Hollande beat Mr. Sarkozy in a May 6 presidential runoff. He needs lawmakers' support to persuade European Union leaders, especially German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to focus on spurring economic growth rather than enforcing austerity in struggling European economies. VoA.

Libya has postponed a landmark election until next month to give the nation more time to prepare for its first vote since last year's ouster of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in an armed rebellion.

The U.N. mission in Libya praised the decision to switch the election for a national assembly from the original date of June 19 to July 7, saying it will “enable essential preparations to be completed prior to voting.” In a statement issued Sunday, U.N. envoy Ian Martin said Libya's election commission has made “admirable” progress in the context of what he called “an extremely tight timetable and major operational challenges.”

Libyan election commission chief Nouri Al-Abbar said the 18-day postponement is needed to give voters more time to register and to give authorities more time to examine the qualifications of candidates. Speaking at a Tripoli news conference, he said his commission only started work in February, giving it a short time to organize the country's first national election in more than four decades.

Other challenges facing the election organizers include Libya's lack of an effective bureaucracy and poor security in parts of the country.

The vote is meant to produce a national assembly that will write a new Libyan constitution and form a government to replace the unelected National Transitional Council that took over from Gadhafi.

Libya says 80 percent of eligible voters have registered for the election so far, equivalent to 2.7 million people. Dozens of new political parties have been formed to contest 80 of the assembly's 200 seats. The other 120 seats are reserved for independent candidates.

Martin said he has confidence in the commitment of Libyan authorities to see an “early and successful conclusion of the electoral process.”

Russian police and investigators have raided the homes of several opposition leaders on the eve of a planned protest in Moscow.

The Federal Investigative Committee said in a statement Monday the searches targeted the organizers of an earlier rally, held last month to protest against President Vladimir Putin.

The statement named Alexei Navalny and Sergei Udaltsov, who both spent 15 days in jail last month for demonstrating against Mr. Putin's inauguration, as well as Ilya Yashin, another activist previously detained during a protest. Russia's main investigation agency said it planned to conduct about 10 searches Monday.

Opposition leaders are hoping to draw a large crowd for Tuesday's protest, which comes days after Mr. Putin signed into law a bill dramatically raising fines for people involved in unauthorized rallies.

Organizers of illegal protests now face up to $30,000 in fines, while individual protesters could face a fine of up to $9,000 or as many as 200 hours of community service.

Mr. Putin was elected to a record third presidential term in March. He served from 2000 to 2008 before becoming prime minister under former president Dmitry Medvedev.

A constitutional amendment has extended the president's term in office to two consecutive six-year terms, meaning Mr. Putin could stay in power until 2024. VoA.

Sunday, June 03, 2012

Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets across the country late Saturday to protest the verdicts in the trial of former president Hosni Mubarak, former interior minister Habib al-Adly and six top security officials.

The ousted leader was found guilty for his role in the killings of hundreds of anti-government protesters during the first week of the uprising in February 2011 that forced his downfall. He was given a life sentence. Prosecutors had called for the death penalty, but the presiding judge said that although Mubarak failed to prevent the deaths, he was not directly responsible for them. Mubarak's lawyers are expected to appeal the sentence.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

The top two vote-getters in Egypt's first round of presidential elections reached out to their rivals Saturday and described their visions of building a new Egypt if elected in next month's run-off.

Former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, a secularist, has praised the “glorious” revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak, and vowed there will be no “re-creation” of the old regime. Shafiq said he was extending his hand to all political forces, especially the young people, who were the backbone of the uprising, and said nobody will be excluded or pushed aside by the new government.

“Egypt is for everyone. No one will be excluded and no one will be pushed aside. Everyone must have a share in this nation.”

But Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi dismissed Shafiq as a symbol of the old regime and refused any cooperation with it, saying it ruined the country. He promised to create a new regime based on one that is inclusive of all forces in the country.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

In Egypt, protesters again gather at Tahrir Square following Friday prayers. Main focus of the prayers is the Military rulers.

Violence and death continue in Syria, as two explosions in Damscus today kill at least 10 people. International criticism also continues as it is noted that Syria has failed to live up to its commitments.

Out of Iraq, a film called The List that highlights the perils of those Iraqis who have worked with the Americans, has its premiere in New York.

The government of Israel recently said it would begin deporting illegal immigrants from two African countries because conflicts there had subsided and it was safe to return home.

A commander of the Libyan rebel forces that helped to oust Moammar Gadhafi last year claims British intelligence services played a key role in his capture and alleged CIA rendition back to Libya in 2004, where he says he was tortured. His lawyers say the case reveals the murky links between Western governments and Gadhafi before the 2011 uprising.

Egypt's newly elected parliament has selected members of an assembly that will draft the country's first constitution since last year's overthrow of long-time President Hosni Mubarak.

However, lawmakers from liberal and leftist parties withdrew from Saturday's crucial vote, saying the country's most powerful political group — the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood which won a sweeping victory in parliamentary elections earlier this year — was trying to monopolize the 100-member panel.

Liberals say that a permanent constitution should not be written solely by the victors of a single election, but it should include all political and ideological streams in the assembly and represent all sectors of Egyptian society.

The new constitution will define the balance of power between the Islamist-dominated parliament and once all-powerful president. A power struggle over the future document is already underway between Egypt's army-backed executive and the parliament, which wants to curb presidential powers.

Other key concerns are the role of Islamic Sharia law, which is subject to a wide variety of interpretation, as well as the role of the military and the future of the country's military rulers. VoA

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The head of Guinea Bissau's election commission has asked for more security at election offices after a top military official was killed the same day of presidential polling.

Desejado Lima da Costa tells VOA that the military has agreed to provide the extra security. He says the country's army chief has also given assurances that the military will continue to secure the vote until the end of the electoral process.

Officials in the coup-prone West African nation say the former head of military intelligence, Samba Diallo, was shot dead just hours after a peaceful presidential vote on Sunday. Witnesses say Diallo was killed by men in military uniform near his home in the capital, Bissau.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Russian riot police detained dozens of protesters demonstrating outside a Moscow television station after it aired a documentary allegedly showing people being paid to rally against president-elect Vladimir Putin.

At least 500 people gathered for Sunday's unsanctioned rally near the city's largest television tower. Many there shouted “Shame to NTV” and “Russia without Putin.”

Russian opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov, who was among those arrested, described the journalists who made the film as “traitorous.”

The NTV program “Anatomy of a Protest” alleged that some people taking part in the rallies did so for cash payments. It also hinted the protest movement was being funded by the West.

NTV was once an independent television station, but fell under state control after Mr. Putin first came to power in 2000. The station says it is re-airing the documentary on Sunday. VoA.

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Ace Of Spades: Why Language MattersIn this article, Ace of Spades demonstrates how the writing style of "journalists" and other writers is purposely used to influence the electorate. He explains this far better than I have been able to do, but this is the foundation of why I could no longer be silent.